Why Dogs Smile & Chimpanzees Cry

Although I am coming late to the party, I would like to add another reply to the first posting.

It's true that ordinary people, most of us, do know without a doubt that animals have emotions. But surely you know that science was long hampered, and still is in many quarters, by the denial of emotions (and of any mental life at all, in fact) to nonhuman animals--and by the refusal to discuss or publicly acknowledge this fact. Hence the video is still plenty useful. Its measured tone, exceptional footage of compassionate and other behavior by a myriad of species, and revelations of a variety of emotions (and their evolutionary basis) is, in fact, priceless to those of us who would like to counter that trend. At least I've found it so for college students who find themselves unsure and confused about what's going on with animals other than the ones they're most familiar with.

That said, I do appreciate your objection to referring to emotions shared by many species as "human." Someday I hope that many will see the arrogance and inaccuracy of that usage. But one must consider one's audience--and that usage often gets a point across to a popular audience.

I just read the other review for this documentary and I am compelled to respond. The review implied that the chimpanzees (they are not monkeys, they are apes - get your facts straight before you complain) are all kept in cages and have "horrible psychological testing" done on them. The review further suggests that Washoe, the first non-human to acquire a human language, has been housed in a concrete and wire cage since 1966. I need to correct this information on behalf of Washoe and her chimp group. The images in the documentary of young chimps were taken when they lived with the Gardeners as a foster children. They were being cross-fostered which means that they were being treated as if they were a human child. They slept in a bed in the house, they ate meals at the table with their "parents", the Gardeners. They took baths on a daily basis. They were toilet trained and played outside in the yard just like other children. They went on outings just like other children. You see Washoe (or it might be Dar, I can't remember now) in the film dressed because she was in this cross-fostering environment. She chose her outfit every day. The "Hurry. Go out" moment was asking to go out and play. She was excited. It was the cross-fostering study that allowed the young chimps to learn sign language because they were being exposed to it the same way a deaf human child would be exposed to it - in every day life situations. The same way hearing children learn to speak by hearing the words spoken during everyday events.

Further, and this is very important, Washoe and her family did spend a few years in a not-so-great housing environment. Washoe was adopted by Dr. Roger Fouts (one of the graduate students she'd known since infancy)and he took her to the college where he was working at the time. For several years there was limited housing available for the non-humans and it broke the hearts of those working with the chimpanzees in this group (there were 5 chimps). But funds were raised and since 1993 Washoe and her family have been housed in a 1500 sq. foot 2-room indoor enclosure with separate sleeping quarters behind the 2 rooms and which is attached to an amazing 3000 sq. foot outdoor enclosure where they can hang out, climb 3 stories high and generally just play whenever they wish. You can view their living space and watch live web-cams at

http://tinyurl.com/2jbqrh

There were attempts to keep them inside when it was snowing out, but one of the chimps kept requesting to go out, and it was discovered that (at least this group) rather enjoys going out in the snow.

My point in all of this is that the other reviewer implies that there was no regard taken for the emotional well-being of the chimpanzees looked at in this documentary. Chimps in the wild are hard to follow and hard to study. Chimps in captivity can be followed quite easily. The "horrible psychological testing" consists of teaching them sign language, refusing to respond the first time a chimp makes a request, thus requiring the chimpanzee to find a different way of asking (showing they have a sense of your world being different from their own), looking to see if they play more with toys that are new to them vs. toys that have been in their enclosure for several days, etc. These chimpanzees are loved by their care givers as if they were members of the family. I had the honor of spending 2 weeks with them several years ago and I can say from a first-hand experience that the chimps are respected as individuals and as the amazing creatures that they are.

This show was an excellent discussion platform for my whole family. My nine year old is a particular 'softy' with regard to animals and she kept jumping up going "see, see, I was right, they do care!". The wide variety of animals covered is just amazing, and the documentary style is wonderful. I particularly like the fact that it doesn't harp too much on the almost doctrinal belief of evolution, nor does it beat us up about the earth's atmosphere, global warming, or the destruction of the rain-forests. It stays true to the theme and doesn't try to guilt you while teaching you. It is actually quite upbeat, even though it does show a range of emotions. The grief was particularly poignant. I have to admit, I cried several times, and found myself saying "awwwww." more than once. My daughter and I ended up cuddling and laughing at the fact that each of us were weeping over how sweet the film was. We were thoroughly engrossed and sorry to see the film end. I let her stay up much later than normal because it was that good.

About the review: "Discovery Channel has hit a new low" Sorry I did not get the point of this reviewer. He wants to see the "non-human" side of animals? Its always funny how much some human-monkeys want to distance them self from other monkeys :) To me it is not surprising at all that we all feel emotions, pain, fear. After all we are made of the same stuff and bound to the same natural laws (eat-poop-sleep-bleed-die) while we share the same living space. What makes us human-monkeys so special? Just because we think we "know better"? Well know where that got us...in deep sh.. if you look at the world. That is the direct result of disrespect of other beings (animals/plants) and the arrogant view we hold to be superior. I feel the film did bring home what is needed : we remember to share what we have,respect all other beings and grand them to have the same right to a painless, peacefully and happy existence as we human monkeys demand. Peace!

I'm a grown man and I wept when I watched the colony of meerkats fall back to comfort a wounded, dying "Bold One" who had confronted a jackal the previous night. I only hope I am treated with such compassion when my hour is at hand.

This movie isn't didactic or preachy. The documentary footage speaks for itself. The film is a revelation about the complexity of social structure among the creatures we share this planet with. Like "March of the Penguins", "Why Dogs Smile" illustrates how much we have in common with wildlife and how much we have yet to learn.

If you want to watch a film with your family, I can't think of anything more uplifting than "Why Dogs Smile."